Author: Lisa Mungovan

Are you aware, it’s Owl Awareness Day? Owls come in many sizes, from the 6-inch tall elf owl to the Blakiston’s fish owl, which has a 6 1/2-foot wingspan! Owls can only look straight ahead, but they can turn their heads so far to either side, that they can see what’s behind them.

Today is Assistance Dogs Day. That could mean guide dogs, that are trained to lead blind and visually impaired humans, or hearing alert dogs to help the deaf. There are also seizure and medical alert dogs. Never pet or distract an assistance dog. They’re working! Thank you, poochies!

Are you excited? It’s Hooray For Kids Day! Baby goats are so cute, aren’t they? Just kidding. Young humans, this day is for you! People could celebrate how awesome you are, by giving you cookies, or helping you bake your own. After all, it’s also Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Chip-chip hooray!

The Kiama Library in Australia, had a long-overdue book returned. Antiquities of Athens, had been checked out sometime before 1890! The book was found during a home renovation, bricked into the fireplace. Luckily, the library no longer charges late fees, because the fine would have added up to $20,000.

Microplastics have been found in the human bloodstream, because we eat and drink microscopic pieces all the time. Scientists found an easy way, to remove many microplastics from drinking water. When water is boiled, plastic is trapped by minerals in the water, which can then be filtered out by pouring through a steel mesh.

Have you seen any shooting stars this month? The Perseid meteor showers are visible every night, but August 12th-13th will be the peak. As the Earth passes through fields of comet waste, the debris burns up, causing the shooting stars in our skies. Have some wishes lined up, for each one you see.

Walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, peanuts. Eat them all on Grab Some Nuts Day! Don’t worry about dropping shells on the floor. Next, grab a giant slice of juicy watermelon and eat it, because it’s Watermelon Day! Now that your floors are a sticky mess, you can celebrate Clean Your Floors Day!

Scientists believe the planet Mercury, contains an 11-mile-thick layer of diamonds, surrounding its core.  Think that’s impressive? They’ve also found that some stars collapse on themselves, creating giant diamond crystals. There’s one white dwarf star, that’s turning into a diamond about 2,500 miles in diameter and weighing 10 billion, trillion, trillion carats!

Young paleontologists will be happy to know, it’s Dinosaur Day! Practice your excavation skills, by burying toy dinosaurs in a sandbox. Identify the species, then research when it lived. Dinosaurs from the Jurassic Period, like the brachiosaurus and stegosaurus, lived from 201,000,000 to 145,000,000 years ago. Tyrannosaurus rex lived later, in the Cretaceous Period.

Do you have a sister? Be especially nice to her, because it’s Sisters’ Day. Today is American Family Day as well, so go ahead and be nice to your whole family. In fact, since it’s also Friendship Day, I think this day will be filled with friends, family, and fantastic fun.